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Physical Description: Athletic
frame. Slightly undersized. Sturdy, filled out. Minimal
remaining projection. Runs with a limp and cannot bend right leg
due to a childhood injury as a result of which his right leg is
shorter than his left. Condition does not limit him at all on
the mound or when fielding his position.
Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot.
Starts on the first base side and has a high leg kick.
Significant effort in delivery. Very short stride. Long arm
swing behind and then explodes forward with a lightning-quick
arm. Back leg does not bend at all during delivery, but still
able to drive off it. Will add a trunk twist on some occasions
to change his timing when coming to the plate.
Fastball: 96-98 mph. Tops out at 100 mph. Velocity
increased substantially in pro ball. Pitch shows life up in the
zone, but is on the straight side and plays below its velocity.
Command and control are erratic. Potential plus offering.
Splitter: 83-86 mph. Extremely low spin
rate. Primary secondary offering. Confidence in and feel for the
pitch. Shows late, parachuting movement down in the zone. Has
the potential to miss bats at the highest level. Especially
effective against left-handed hitters. Did not show the same
quality splitter in outings scouted in early 2023. Struggled to
land pitch in the zone and throw competitive enough pitches to
elicit swings against it, but he only threw it sparingly and
therefore may have been throwing less often in order to focus on
developing his slider. Feel for the pitch started to come back
towards the end of 2023 and it looked more like the pitch he was
throwing at the end of 2022. Potential plus pitch if he can
consistently throw like he did at the end of 2022 and 2023.
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Slider: 86-89 mph. Longer, 10-to-4 break. Pitch
shows two-plane shape and tight rotation at its best.
Inconsistent feel at the moment, but on occasion will flash
solid potential. Improved considerably in 2023 compared to where
it was in 2022, and threw the pitch a lot more frequently.
Potential solid-average offering.
Career Notes:
Born in the Dominican Republic and moved to Boston as a child.
Had surgery on his right knee as a child and required a
nine-month hospitalization. As a result, development of the
muscles in his right leg was hindered and his knee has very
little bend. Participated in the 2021 MLB Draft League. Used six
different pitches in college, but the Red Sox asked him to focus
on his fastball, splitter, and slider after signing. Team
expected him to break camp in 2023 with High-A Greenville, but
performed so well in spring training that he was assigned to
Portland. Participated in the 2023 Fall Performance Program.
Summation: Potential middle-inning
reliever. Ceiling of a late-inning leverage reliever. Has some
of the best raw stuff of any relief arm in the system, but needs
to improve command and control and consistency. Walks too many
hitters and has not missed as many bats in the high minors as he
did in the low minors. Splitter is a potential separator pitch
with the ability to miss bats at the highest level, but needs to
regain his 2022 form with the pitch. Fastball has good velocity,
but is hittable and he will have to show the ability to command
it to succeed. Has plus makeup and is regarded as one of the
hardest workers in the system. Very popular with teammates.
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